3 biggest takeaways from Michigan State basketball’s trip to Spain

2. Jaxon Kohler is the obvious choice at center

Nobody needs to remind anyone how ugly the center spot has been for Michigan State in recent years. And with Tom Izzo only bringing in Szymon Zapala from the transfer portal to help out it rightfully left MSU fans very scared for the future of the position.

As the team headed to Spain I had no idea who the starter would be. Zapala seemed like he was being hinted at as “the guy” but the starting spot was as up in the air as any other position.

But then Jaxon Kohler burst onto the scene in Spain and announced himself as the best option down low, at least offensively.

Kohler has already shown us that he can be very good in the post on offense. But what he hasn’t shown us is the ability to hit the outside shot even though he’s always been advertised as being able to do so. That however changed in Spain as he hit four 3-pointers throughout Michigan State’s three games by my count.

Sure four 3-pointers in three games isn’t lights out shooting, but Michigan State doesn’t need that from Kohler. All they need is for him to be a threat from the perimeter that the defense has to respect, and hitting one three per game will do just that.

Sure Kohler may not be the biggest guy on the floor and he may struggle on defense at times, but I’ve never been more certain that he’s the best option in the post. I still think Zapala and Carson Cooper should both play a fair amount, but after seeing Kohler hit these outside shots while averaging 12 points per game it’s more than clear in my mind that he has to be the starting center going forward.